Falmouth working boat

The Falmouth Working Boat is a type of small traditional sailing craft that evolved for fishing in the waters of Falmouth, Cornwall.

Falmouth working boats have a gaff cutter rig and a long keel hull. As well as being general purpose fishing boats they have a specific function of dredging the native oysters (Ostrea edulis).

In the summer months they are intensively raced, forming a colourful spectacle in the Cornish inshore waters.

Falmouth working boats range from about 22 feet (7 m) to 32 feet (10 m) long.

In its traditional form the boats have a hull with a plumb stem and almost vertical transom, with a long straight keel. Typically they are internally ballasted. The working boats have a three-quarter deck, with a small cuddy forward. The single mast is keel-stepped.

The mainsail is raised on a gaff. The staysail may be rigged to a bumkin which extends its foot past the stem head. The jib is hauled out on a long bowsprit, which is often tightened downwards with the bobstay giving it a slight curve. A topsail is frequently employed, which is raised on a yard rather than a topmast.

Local bylaws prohibit the use of engines when dredging for oysters. The Falmouth fishing fleet is thus one of very few fleets in the world that routinely fish under sail alone.

Oysters are dredged from the sea bed using a small trawl or drudge, which is a weighted net that is towed along the bottom. Under sail this is accomplished by using the mainsail with a small jib slightly aback.